1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to accessory locking mounts, and, more particularly, to a locking mount adjustable to fit many electrical accessories used in vehicles and adaptable to be fastened securely to a support member in the interior of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many prior vehicle accessory mounts have been attached directly to an interior support member, such as the underside of a dashboard, by mounting means such as screws or nuts and bolts. These conventional mounts may be adequate to support the accessory properly, but the mounting means often are easily accessible so that they may be removed rather easily to permit the theft of the electrical accessory carried by the mount. This, obviously, is undesirable and many attempts have been made to overcome the problem of supporting an accessory adequately and yet preventing the theft of the accessory.
One prior art approach to the problem employs a first bracket assembly rigidly secured to the support member and a second bracket assembly rigidly affixed to the accessory. The two brackets are engagable selectively so that, if desired, the accessory with its bracket affixed can be removed from the vehicle. Alternatively, the accessory can be installed in the vehicle by engaging the two brackets so that the accessory can be carried by the support member.
A prior art device of this nature is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,049, which employs a bracket affixed to the underside of the dashboard. This type of mounting has several deficiencies, one of which is excessive vibration. It is well known that the dashboard itself is subject to vibration because it usually is suspended or cantilevered from a frame member. Accordingly, anything affixed to the underside of the dashboard also is subject to vibration, although usually of greater severity than components disposed internally of the dashboard.
A second problem is the relative ease with which items affixed to the dashboard may be separated from the dashboard. The dashboard commonly is made of rather light-weight sheet metal which may be sheared readily. Also, particularly with items suspended from the underside of the dashboard, it usually is a simple matter to reach behind the dashboard and obtain access to fastening members extending upwardly through the underside of the dashboard.
Prior art devices also have been deficient as regards the security of the bracket-to-bracket attachment. Commonly, some form of lock is employed which is exposed. Accordingly, it is easy to tamper with the lock and perhaps utimately destroy the lock or otherwise separate the brackets.